One problem is the people telling us to just “follow the science” rarely seem to understand the interaction between things science can and has resolved and the unknowns and trade-offs that cannot be resolved by appeals to “The Science.” They’re often using science as a talisman.https://twitter.com/jflier/status/1345417443909500931 …
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Replying to @zeynep
That's why many of us are open science advocates, wanting data to be shared widely from research. That is why so many of us are out in the public sphere talking to those outside of our bubble. Follow the science is an empty phrase, now "follow the data," is something else.
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Replying to @gregggonsalves @zeynep
As much as I favor warning data shared widely from research, having done what I've done for so many years I know that that approach has hazards as well.
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Basically, the hazard is that cranks, conspiracy theorists, and deniers will cherry pick and misrepresent that data in order to promote their conspiracy theories and disinformation.
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Science deniers will, for example, hone in on one part of one panel of one figure or one line of one table and try to use that to discredit entire scientific consensuses. I've seen antivaxxers do it more times than I can remember.
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Indeed, the entire "CDC whistleblower" conspiracy theory that turned into Andrew Wakefield's and Del Bigtree's antivax propaganda film VAXXED resulted from just such a bit of cherry picking and misrepresentation.
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Agree, but the benefits outweigh the risks in my mind. The cranks and charlatans will always be with us.
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Yeah, I think there is no way to get rid of them, so need robust methods for engaging and fighting back.
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